Fur

Nightmare

There was a soft knock on the door. Armelle squinted her eyes open as the door to her room opened slowly. She sat up and noticed the fireplace was lit up.

"Christopher...?" she began, and gasped when her eyes adjusted to the dim light.

"Armelle," the figure standing in the doorway smiled warmly.

"Father?!" she stammered.

"I've missed you," he whispered.

"Me too," Armelle murmured as tears rolled down her cheeks.

"But why did you have to leave?" he sighed.

"I figured it's time I seek my own destiny, and I was correct."

"But Armelle, you worried me out of my wits."

"I know, Father. I'm sorry."

"I don't think I'm your father anymore, nor you are my daughter."

"Father, it's not like that..."

"Then why did you disappear from my life?!"

"You were changing my life!! I did not like what you were doing!!"

Armelle's father stormed up to her desk, held up her diary and asked, "What was the point of us giving you this?"

"What are you doing to Dickon -NO! STOP!!"

Without warning, he chucked the notebook into the hearth. Armelle bolted to the fireplace and crouched down.

"You are not my daughter anymore," he muttered. She turned to look up at him when-

Splash!

***

Armelle yelped as a bucket of water washed over her face. She sat there, gaping, until she realized who it was.

"Gosh, Armelle!! What was going on??!"

"Christopher? Wait, what are you doing in my room?"

"Gosh, well I ...came in to check on you, but it was freezing cold in here, so I started the fireplace, and I guess I happened to notice Dickon..."

"You looked??! You read what I had written??! But those entries were for Dickon! Not you!"

"I know, and I'm sorry for your loss of Dickon. You suddenly grabbed him out of my hands while you were asleep, and I tried to put out the fire-"

There was a hissing noise, like a dying flame. Armelle turned to the fireplace, and put her hands over her mouth to prevent herself from screaming the life out of herself.

She was the monster who burned Dickon.